I need this mainly to be used with my Nokia 1020 but also my Asus 701K tablet. I'm not sure if I should go with a portable amp or a portable dac/amp combo.
Also I'm not sure what to buy. I don't want to spend a lot of money. Say no more that $150 USD maybe $170 if I need to stretch a bit.
I'm looking for something with a good amount of power to push an assortment of cans. I would like something with really good sq.
My current headphones and earbuds consist of:
Cans:
Audeze LCD-2 Rev 2 Fazor
Sennheiser HD595
Harman Kardon Harkar CL
Grado 325i
Sony MDR XB700
Sony Pulse Elite (Headset/mic)
Buds:
Sony MDR-XB60EX
Sony MDR-EX85LP
Sennheiser CX-200
Any ideas?

Received my amps today! Tried out the MMP first and though I wasn't expecting much I was pleasantly surprised that it amps as loud as it does. My Nokia 1020 gets much louder now and even sounds a bit better. A little cleaner.

I then charged and tried out the Fiio E12 and this little amp knocked my socks off. My phone is seriously louder and cleaner sounding. This amp really is amazing considering how small it is (smaller than my phone) and running my Grado 325i via this amp...wow, the Grado comes alive! This is a real winner.

I'll keep the MMP only because it does make my cans louder and it is so small that I can see myself using this on a regular basis. It really doesn't compare to the E12 in any way shape or form but it's still a cool little amp.

Mine is not DIY. Mine was made by the company that sells them and you can spend way over $100 for even DIY kits that are higher end. I didn't overspend. These amps use the best parts and perform beautifully.

Well I would have to demo the Lyr 2 to be able to argue one way or the other. I would think you'd have to do the same with both these amps.
I have been into audio since the 1970's and I think I know what good equipment sounds like and the Ember is very pleasing. Not to mention the Ember can roll way more tubes. Like a lot more than the Lyr 2. I prefer 12v tubes and the Lyr 2 can't run those. Features such as: Auto Bias, auto heater selection, 3 output resistance settings, adjustable gain, plus more. It may not pump out 6watts but it pumps out more than enough for most any headphone including the LCD-2 & LCD-3, HE-500, HE-6 etc...

As for the LCD-3 well hell yeah it's better. It should be at double the price. lol I think I'm good with my 1k cans. I also think my wife would kill me if I spent 2k just on cans. In the past two weeks I have spent $2500. or more. Have to look at receipts.

buy a proper tube amplifier like the La Figaro 339 if you want to roll tubes.

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Why can't I use my Ember amp if I want to roll tubes? And what makes the Ember amp not a proper amp as well? Have you used one before? Because if you have not then you really are just talking out of your ass.

As for most amps having these features that's not really true in this price bracket.

Littledot! I hear nothing but great things about it. the Schiit Modi and Magni combos are just a great value although its 200, I haven't heard anything negative about them (maybe waiting till you get the extra cash to grab it?) the FiiO E9 and E7 or E17 makes a good combo as well although I heard ups and downs about that one. Someone mentioned nuforce in hear. I heard they were awesome but still got a lowish score on head fi I guess I should read more into it.

But if you're using it for portable devices you might as well get a portable amp FiiO has good portables for a pretty cheap price but that also depends on your headphones.

Littledot! I hear nothing but great things about it. the Schiit Modi and Magni combos are just a great value although its 200, I haven't heard anything negative about them (maybe waiting till you get the extra cash to grab it?) the FiiO E9 and E7 or E17 makes a good combo as well although I heard ups and downs about that one. Someone mentioned nuforce in hear. I heard they were awesome but still got a lowish score on head fi I guess I should read more into it.

But if you're using it for portable devices you might as well get a portable amp FiiO has good portables for a pretty cheap price but that also depends on your headphones.

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Maybe if you read through this thread you would know that I already own a headphone amp now as well as a portable one too. lol

Why can't I use my Ember amp if I want to roll tubes? And what makes the Ember amp not a proper amp as well? Have you used one before? Because if you have not then you really are just talking out of your ass.

As for most amps having these features that's not really true in this price bracket.

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Project Ember is not an OTL or TC Tube amplifier, it's just a cheap hybrid like the HiFiMAN EF5 which I have checked out.

So you have used the Ember? And consider it cheap? Unless you have used the amp..I stick by my statement. I bought this as strictly a headphone amp. It works very well for this use. It can be used as a preamp but that is not what it was intended for.

It is a hybrid. I didn't say it wasn't. Head over to http://diyah.boards.net/ and discuss it with the creater. Maybe he would like your input since you seem to know so much about it.

Well I am at a point now that I think I'm done; I'm pretty sure I'm done with my headphone stack. I went from portable to desk system and I couldn't be happier with my results.

My latest and final piece of the puzzle arrived last week: MHDT Labs Pagoda DAC. This thing needs at least 30 days to burn in but after 20 hours or so I can say that I'm very impressed with this DAC. This is the second DAC I've bought in the last two months but it will remain in my stack for a very long time.